5 Last Minute Tips to Help Your Family Look Their Best for Family Photos | Seattle Family Photographer
Whatever your style, do you! Family photos should represent you and your family just the way you are today. So, please, don't feel like you need to go and do all the things that are on this list. That being said, here are a few common considerations that have been important to some of my families. If any of these items are not important to you, then don't worry about it (except #5, lol, I'll probably ask you about that one either way =) ).
1) Trim All the Hair
Especially for folks whose hair is normally short, sometimes it can be a bit unruly when it gets just a little too long. If you are a person that likes a nice neat cut, then consider getting your hair cut a few days before your photoshoot. While you're at it, don't forget to manicure the beard. If you normally go for the shaggy look, then disregard this part, but if you typically prefer clean edges, consider taking some time to trim the edges and any long strays, or trim up the whole beard for a uniform appearance. If you don't normally keep a beard or are not a fan of the 5 o'clock shadow a fresh shave can give your photos a nice polished look.
2) Check your shoes and socks
Your feet will be in some photos. Do your shoes coordinate with your clothing style/selections? Do your socks? If anyone in your family is wearing shorts, do you normally wear tall white socks with your tennis shoes? If so, then no worries. If not, consider changing to a different color/lower cut sock. Think about how you expect to display your photos. If you're planning to make a large print to hang in your house, will the appearance of shoes/socks be important to you?
3) Do the Kids' Clothes Fit?
We all know kids grow ridiculously fast, sometimes it seems like they outgrow their clothes overnight and it's really easy to miss. A dress rehearsal a few days before can be helpful to check the fit of pants (waist and length), shirts, and shoes before photo day to ensure a comfortable fit and clothes that do not look too baggy or tight in your photos. Once you have the outfits selected, pull them aside so no one accidentally grabs the jeans that are too small on picture day. Especially if you plan on getting everyone dressed once you arrive at your photo destination, it can be helpful to put all the clothes in a bag, ready to go, so that you do not have to scramble around trying to find it all on the day of your photoshoot.
4) Transition Lenses
If you have transition lenses (the ones that turn to sunglasses outside), consider using a different pair of glasses or contacts for photo day. If you would prefer your normal frames, some glasses providers will pop the lenses out for the day so that we can still see your gorgeous eyes in your photos. If they are your only pair of glasses and you can't see more than a few inches without them, we can make that work too, but they will likely transition to dark lenses if we are photographing outside. Let me know if you would like any photos taken without them or if you want to try and work with the glasses to minimize the transition.
5) Take Everything out of your Pockets
Even if the rest of the tips are irrelevant for you and your family, this is the one tip that I encourage you to follow. Think about your wallet, phone, keys, chapstick, and anything else that you regularly carry in your various pockets. Then, take it all out. Bring a small bag or purse to store all of the pocket things in. You could use this small bag for other essentials as well, like water, a small snack, diapers, etc. We can keep this bag with my gear as we shoot so that it will stay safe while eliminating that weird key bulge in your jeans pocket.
Updated January 19, 2024
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